The Philadelphia Citizen wants to partner with you in something audacious: Reigniting citizenship in its very birthplace.
Just consider:
• 23% of registered voters showed up to vote in the 2019 Mayoral primary
• 8.1% of Philadelphians describe themselves as active in their neighborhoods (31st of the top 50 cities)
• 28% of city residents still don’t have access to broadband Internet (among the worst in the nation)
And yet: 60% of city residents describe Philadelphia as a “great place to live.”
What do these statistics mean? That all the great stuff happening in Philadelphia—the restaurant scene, the influx of millennials and immigrants, the vibrant arts community—has happened despite having one hand tied behind our back. That local democracy is broken, in the city where it was born. That the principles first penned 239 years ago in a basement room at 7th and Market, identifying our most fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, while self-evident, are not self-renewing.
The Philadelphia Citizen, a non-profit, non-partisan media organization has a dual mission: To provide deeply reported journalism that emphasizes solutions that can move our region forward, and to actively reignite citizenship in and around Philadelphia. We seek to identify our innovators, call out those who stand in the way of progress and shine a light on the next generation of Philly leadership—all while giving Philadelphians the interactive tools they need to become more involved, engaged citizens. Philadelphia doesn’t just need another news organization. It needs journalism that focuses on solutions that, together, we can help bring to fruition. It needs a movement of citizens who refuse to outsource leadership to a political class long characterized by an insidious transactional culture.
LARRY PLATT 